BookCover"To have a reason to get up in the morning, it is necessary to possess a guiding principle. A belief of some kind. A bumper sticker, if you will. People in cars on busy freeways call to each other Boycott Grapes, comfort each other Honk if You Love Jesus, joke with each other Be Kind to Animals-Kiss a Beaver. They identify, they summarize, they antagonize with statements of faith: I Have a Dream, Too-Law and Order; Jesus Saves at Chicago Fed; Rod Mckuen for President"(Guest1).
Summary: The book, Ordinary People, follows the life of a troubled teenage boy named, Conrad. A year earlier, Conrad's brother, Buck, was killed in a boating accident and Conrad struggles with blaming himself. He even tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrists. His father had found him in time before he bled to death, but Conrad was hospitalized for months afterwards. When Conrad was released from the hospital, he came back to living with his parents but his father, Calvin, insisted that he see a psychiatrist. Conrad was sent to Dr. Berger and at first was shaky but really opened up to him and started more of a friendship with him, rather then a doctor-patient relationship. When back at school, Conrad's friends had all changed along with Conrad. He just wasn't the same around anyone anymore and he eventually drifted away from his old friends. He became shy at school and didn't talk to much of anyone. The novel also includes the fights of his mother and father over him. Calvin and his wife, Beth, had once been a strong couple, but through out the years, the stable couple has become a wreck, often fighting about Conrad and his emotions. Calvin was always feeling bad for Conrad, and Beth wasn't showing much sympathy at all. She thought he babied him too much. Beth and Conrad were not close at all and rarely spoke more than a few words to each other. Before Conrad's "accident" he was a star on the swimming team, but after he came back, it was too much for him to handle and he quit. Conrad was losing things left and right, and his life was stressful and confusing but Dr. Berger helped keep him going. He eventually started developing a friendship with a girl in his choir class named Jeannine. He was instantly interested in her and finally got up the courage to ask her on a date and over time they became a couple. It seems like Conrad's life is starting to take a turn. He continued to argue with Calvin, and his parents continued to fight with each other, but Conrad really seemed to grow as a person through out the novel. Judith Guest's novel, Ordinary People, was turned into a movie, directed by Robert Redford and won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1980."Ordinary People" movie trailerAn Outstanding Novel:This book was an outstanding novel because it made me hurt for Conrad through out the whole book. It was so realistic i felt his pain through every bad thought that crossed his mind. Guest really knows how to reach out to the reader through chilling details that many can relate to. It makes me admire Conrad for being such a strong person through all the despair he went through. I think Ordinary People made me realize things that i take for granted, like my family. There wasn't a boring part of the book that didnt keep my attention. All around, it was an outstanding novel.I would reccomend this novel:to anybody looking for a good book to read. It is a little depressing so it may not be for the very weak hearted, but it is definitely touching. If you are a person who likes "tear jerkers", then you will very much enjoy this novel.Reviews on Ordinary People:"Admirable...touching...full of the anxiety, despair, and joy that is common to every human experience of suffering and growth."-The New York Times "Guest has the ability to move a toughened reviewer to tears."-Newsweek "A writer's novel. A reader's novel. A critic's novel. A very important novel."-Detroit Free Press "Rejoice! A novel for all ages and all seasons."-The Washington Post Book World(guest)About The Author:Judith Guest was born in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in the year 1958. Her bestselling first novel, Ordinary People, was published in 1976. She consulted with Robert Redford and scenarist Alvin Sargent on the film "Ordinary People", which in 1980, won the oscar for Best Picture. Guest lives in Minnesota and her favorite pastimes are rollerblading and baby-sitting for her grandchildren. (Guest)WORKS CITED:
Guest, Judith. Ordinary People. New York: Penguin Group, 1976
Ordinary People By: Judith Guest
Summary: The book, Ordinary People, follows the life of a troubled teenage boy named, Conrad. A year earlier, Conrad's brother, Buck, was killed in a boating accident and Conrad struggles with blaming himself. He even tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrists. His father had found him in time before he bled to death, but Conrad was hospitalized for months afterwards. When Conrad was released from the hospital, he came back to living with his parents but his father, Calvin, insisted that he see a psychiatrist. Conrad was sent to Dr. Berger and at first was shaky but really opened up to him and started more of a friendship with him, rather then a doctor-patient relationship. When back at school, Conrad's friends had all changed along with Conrad. He just wasn't the same around anyone anymore and he eventually drifted away from his old friends. He became shy at school and didn't talk to much of anyone. The novel also includes the fights of his mother and father over him. Calvin and his wife, Beth, had once been a strong couple, but through out the years, the stable couple has become a wreck, often fighting about Conrad and his emotions. Calvin was always feeling bad for Conrad, and Beth wasn't showing much sympathy at all. She thought he babied him too much. Beth and Conrad were not close at all and rarely spoke more than a few words to each other. Before Conrad's "accident" he was a star on the swimming team, but after he came back, it was too much for him to handle and he quit. Conrad was losing things left and right, and his life was stressful and confusing but Dr. Berger helped keep him going. He eventually started developing a friendship with a girl in his choir class named Jeannine. He was instantly interested in her and finally got up the courage to ask her on a date and over time they became a couple. It seems like Conrad's life is starting to take a turn. He continued to argue with Calvin, and his parents continued to fight with each other, but Conrad really seemed to grow as a person through out the novel. Judith Guest's novel, Ordinary People, was turned into a movie, directed by Robert Redford and won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1980. "Ordinary People" movie trailer An Outstanding Novel:This book was an outstanding novel because it made me hurt for Conrad through out the whole book. It was so realistic i felt his pain through every bad thought that crossed his mind. Guest really knows how to reach out to the reader through chilling details that many can relate to. It makes me admire Conrad for being such a strong person through all the despair he went through. I think Ordinary People made me realize things that i take for granted, like my family. There wasn't a boring part of the book that didnt keep my attention. All around, it was an outstanding novel. I would reccomend this novel:to anybody looking for a good book to read. It is a little depressing so it may not be for the very weak hearted, but it is definitely touching. If you are a person who likes "tear jerkers", then you will very much enjoy this novel. Reviews on Ordinary People: "Admirable...touching...full of the anxiety, despair, and joy that is common to every human experience of suffering and growth."-The New York Times "Guest has the ability to move a toughened reviewer to tears."-Newsweek "A writer's novel. A reader's novel. A critic's novel. A very important novel."-Detroit Free Press "Rejoice! A novel for all ages and all seasons."-The Washington Post Book World (guest) About The Author:
Judith Guest was born in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in the year 1958. Her bestselling first novel, Ordinary People, was published in 1976. She consulted with Robert Redford and scenarist Alvin Sargent on the film "Ordinary People", which in 1980, won the oscar for Best Picture. Guest lives in Minnesota and her favorite pastimes are rollerblading and baby-sitting for her grandchildren. (Guest) WORKS CITED:
Guest, Judith. Ordinary People. New York: Penguin Group, 1976"Ordinary People." You Tube. 17 April 2007. <http://youtube.com/watch?v=O43Fw6yxCU8&feature=related>